Alex Shebanow returned to his former stomping grounds on May 14 for a special viewing
of his film. His documentary investigates the American for-profit college industry
and policy decisions made in Washington D.C. that allowed the industry to prey on
vulnerable students. Many of those students were left with crippling debt and a worthless
piece of paper passed off as a degree.

“This is some of the darkest aspects of our society. All of these students had good
heads on their shoulders and all wanted to better themselves through education,” Shebanow
said during the panel discussion that followed the screening. “Basically, unscrupulous
business tycoons in tandem with corrupt politicians were able to take advantage of
these people. Whoever thought education would take this dark turn?”

Shebanow credits two Foothill professors with laying the foundation for his interest
in storytelling and critical thinking on a global scale. The idea to explore American
higher education came from his experience seeing friends, like the subjects in his
documentary, unable to finish college because of the cost. His documentary took five
years to complete.

After the exclusive screening, Shebanow shared the stage with Chancellor Judy Miner,
former chancellor and now executive director of College Promise Campaign Martha Kanter,
President Nguyen and Chegg CEO Dan Rosenweig.